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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ruler · present · degree · pitcher · cabinet · wound · hand · press

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. present — a gift
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. hand — help
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. present — there
  10. hand — in cards
  11. present — the time now
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. press — a publisher
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wound — an injury
  18. degree — temperature
  19. wound — an injury
  20. press — newspapers
  21. degree — an amount
  22. press — to push
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com